State pensioners born on these dates could collect support worth £475 before Christmas
PENSIONERS born between these exact dates should be aware of financial support worth £475 to help with costs this winter.
The extra support comes through the government’s Winter Fuel Payment scheme and two other benefits.
The benefit is paid at two rates with older people receiving £100 more than those closer to the state pension age.
It is worth up to £300 and was previously paid universally to all pensioners.
But from this year it will be means-tested and only those on certain benefits will be eligible to receive funds.
Pensioners who were born before September 23 1944 will be eligible for £300.
Whereas those born between September 23 1944 and 22 September 1958 will get a reduced rate of £200.
Struggling households can then also top up their support through the government’s Warm Home Discount scheme and Cold Weather Payment.
The Warm Home Discount scheme, worth £150, is paid to households to help with energy bills during the colder months.
Between now and December, the government will issue letters to households that qualify for the scheme.
However, to be eligible for the discount, you must have claimed one of nine means-tested benefits on a specific date in August.
The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero, which administers the £150 Warm Home Discount, says households must have had an active claim for any of the following benefits on Sunday, August 11:
- Guaranteed credit element of pension credit
- Income support
- Income-based jobseeker’s allowance
- Income-related employment and support allowance
- Housing benefit
- Universal Credit
- Child tax credit
- Working tax credits
- The “Savings Credit” part of pension credit
Even if you weren’t claiming pension credit on the qualifying date in August, there is a trick to make sure you can get the cash.
You can read more about that here.
Meanwhile, eligible households can get £25 per week through the Cold Weather Payment scheme.
The payments are usually made between November 1 and March 31 to those on certain benefits.
You get £25 for each seven-day period where the temperature is zero degrees celsius or below in your area, with payments usually processed in 14 working days..
Most eligible people don’t need to apply to get cold-weather payments.
But you can check if you’re eligible via gov.uk.
This means if pensioners born before September 23 1944 claimed all three benefits they would get financial help worth £475 this winter.
Meanwhile, those born after this date up to September 1958 could claim help worth £425.
What other support is available?
If you fear you may struggle to afford your energy costs this winter, you should note some of the other financial help available.
Many of the UK’s biggest energy suppliers have grants in place to support struggling customers.
Eligibility criteria may vary depending on the supplier, while the amount you can get depends on your financial circumstances.
The country’s biggest supplier, British Gas, previously had an energy grant scheme in place, with the hardest-pressed households receiving a grant of up to £2,000.
The firm has also launched a debt reduction scheme called “You Pay: We Pay”.
Struggling customers will also be able to get part of their debts wiped via what’s known as “debt matching”.
For instance, if a customer pays £100, British Gas will pay off £100 too, effectively wiping half the amount owed and getting the customer back on track sooner.
The £15million scheme opened in June and eligible customers have been contacted directly.
Elsewhere, EDF has a customer support fund which on average wipes £1,250 off customers’ bills.
It is available to vulnerable customers experiencing hardship.
To apply, visit EDF’s website and make sure you have details of your account number (find it on your energy bills or EDF emails) and the current debt balance on all EDF accounts you have.
Check directly with your supplier to see what help is available from them.
You should also be aware of the government’s Household Support Fund.
Are you missing out on benefits?
YOU can use a benefits calculator to help check that you are not missing out on money you are entitled to
Charity Turn2Us’ benefits calculator works out what you could get.
Entitledto’s free calculator determines whether you qualify for various benefits, tax credit and Universal Credit.
MoneySavingExpert.com and charity StepChange both have benefits tools powered by Entitledto’s data.
You can use Policy in Practice’s calculator to determine which benefits you could receive and how much cash you’ll have left over each month after paying for housing costs.
Your exact entitlement will only be clear when you make a claim, but calculators can indicate what you might be eligible for.